Machine for removing sedimentary material from filter beds

ABSTRACT

A machine for removing sedimentary material from filter beds of water supply installations. The machine has a chassis running on endless tracks and supporting a displaceable front frame carrying an inclined elevated conveyor arrangement with a plurality of circulated buckets. A rotatable drum with projecting paddles or bars serves to project material in a trough which feeds the buckets of the inclined conveyor arrangement. An inclined plate also carried by the frame serves to skim a layer of material from the bed as the machine advances and the drum picks up the material from the plate. A further conveyor extends transversally of the chassis and receives material from the inclined conveyor for subsequent discharge from the machine.

2 Ulllttid States Patent 1 1 1111 3,720,299

Wegmann et al. 1March 13, 1973 1 MACHINE FOR REMOVING 1,761,286 6/1930 Zuckerman .1923/9 x SEDIMENTARY MATERIAL FROM 5: t t 31111011....

2,700,234 1/1955 Higley r ..172/l97 [75] Inventors: Horst Wegmann, Essen; Karl Ulrich 2,748,720 6/1956 Kling ..l98/9 X Smula, Vinnum; Lothar Bartz, 3,448,814 6/1969 Bentley et a1 ..l72/l97 X Bochum-Gerthe; Wilhelm Stoltefuss, Heeremwerve n of Germany Primary Exammer-Evon C. Blunk V Assistant Examinerl-l. S. Lane [73] Ass1gnee: gewerkschaft Elsenhutte, Westfaha, Atmmey Markva, Smith & Kruger ermany 22 Filed: April 23, 1971 [571 ABSTRACT [211 App. NOJ 136,818 machine for removing sedimentary material from filter beds of water supply mstallations. The machme v has a chassis running on endless tracks and supporting [30] Foreign Applicati Priori y Da a a displaceable front frame carrying an inclined elevated conveyor arrangement with a plurality of cir- Aug. 22, 1970 7 Germany ..P 20 41 303.5 culated buckets A rotatable drum with projecting paddles or bars serves to project material in a trough [52] U.S. Cl. ..l98/9, 172/197, 198/36 which feeds the buckets of the inclined conveyor [51] Int. Cl ..B65g 65/06 rangemem- An inclined plate also carried y the frame [58] Field of Search 9; 172/195 197 serves to skim a layer of material from the bed as the machine advances and the drum picks up the material [56] References cued from the plate. A further conveyor extends transver UNITED STATES PATENTS sally of the chassis and receives'material from the inclined conveyor for subsequent discharge from the 584,112 6/1897 Greenerd ..198/36 mac'h1ne 555,401 2/1896 Radermacher.... 2,675,1l6 4/1954 Collins ..198/9 13 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures A. 12 a \CD, A

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ATTORNEY PATENUnmmms 7 99 sum aur 3 w WWEW MACHINE FOR REMOVING SEDIMENTARY MATERIAL FROM FILTER BEDS BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION lt is usual to provide, in the vicinity of the water supply installations, filter basins which receive, for ex ample, river water. The beds of these filter basins are usually composed of sand and soil and the water introduced into the basins sweeps through the sand and the soil and the water is raised from the basins by means of pumps from time to time.

The sediment contained in the river water thus deposits itself on the bed of the filter basin and as the layer of sediment increases in thickness the permeability of the sand and soil to water is reduced. The sedimentary material and the sand permeated thereby has SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a machine for removing sedimentary material deposited in filter beds or the like; said machine comprising a chassis, means for moving the chassis, means for skimming an upper layer of material as the chassis is moved, and means for conveying material from said skimming means.

The means for moving the chassis can be in the form of endless tracks.

Preferably the said conveying means is in the form of an inclined conveyor and a rotatable drum adapted to project said material to the inclined conveyor.

The inclined conveyor can have a plurality of receptacles carried on endless circulatable members and the inclined conveyor can in turn deliver material to a further conveyor extending transversally of the chassis. The skimming means can conveniently take the form of an inclined plate adjustable in position andit is of advantage for the upper edge of the plate to lead into a trough provided at the bottom of the inclined conveyor. A skid member can be positioned in front of the inclined plate and the arrangement is preferably such that the thickness of the layer of material extracted by the inclined plate is determined by the position of the skid member and the lower edge of the inclined plate.

It is advisable for the drum to have bars which extend outwardly from the periphery thereof and impinge on said material. The bars are preferably offset relative to the center of the drum and adjustable in position to assist the action of flinging material into the direction of the entry trough for the inclined conveyor. To prevent material from being flung off in any other direction, the conveyor drum is advantageously covered over at the front of the machineby a cover plate.

The drum can be driven via the inclined conveyor or alternatively the drum can be provided with a separate drive. This would be desirable ifa higher rotation speed for the drum is required.

The ascending conveying side of the inclined con veyor is advantageously supported by guide means which may for example, take the form of rollers. Likewise the descending return run of the conveyor preferably has some form of guide means. In one construction one or more guide rails are provided adjacent said return run and receive guide: elements carried by the receptacles.

The skimming means and the inclined conveyor are preferably mounted on a frame which is supported on the chassis by means of support members which can be independently raised or lowered to alter the position of the frame in relation to said chassis. Owing to the fact that the frame is supported by the support members, this provides the advantage that even if the endless tracks supporting the chassis sinks into the bed of sand the thickness of the layer of material removed by the skimming means can be adjusted to have the same thickness over the entire width of the machine.

It is advisable to ensure that the entire weight of the frame need not be transmitted to the skid member and thence to the sediment since this would consolidate the sediment. To preclude this springs can be provided by means of which the weight of the frame is at least to some extent transmitted to the chassis. Preferably means, such as piston and cylinder units, is provided to lift the frame from its normal operative position so that when the machine is not in actual use and is being moved from one working station to another, the frame can be lifted out of the normal operating position.

According to another feature of the invention the further conveyor has a frame work which is displaceable in its longitudinal direction to project outwardly from one side of the chassis. Also the further conveyor can have side walls which can be moved outwardly relative to the sides of the chassis. Material can thus be discharged from the further conveyor at selected positions and if desired onto transfer trucks. Alternatively, an embankment can be allowed to accumulate on the bed of the filter basin. In this case it maybe possible, with two or more passages of the machine, for the further conveyor to deliver the material onto the same embankment by extending the conveyor further out from the chassis.

To prevent the bed of sand from being unnecessarily consolidated by the machine, it is advisable for all parts to be made as light in weight as possible. To keep the specific pressure exerted by the endless tracks as low as possible, it is of advantage for the endless tracks to have running plates as large as possible. Since, however, any consolidation detracts "from the permeability of the layer of sand to water there is preferably additionally provided means for loosening and/or smoothing the material, said means being arranged at the rear of the chassis and remote from said skimming means. This means can have subsoiler and harrow type implements. The smoothing function can be performed by rollers arranged so that the bed of sand can be smoothed and levelled over a transversal distance corresponding to the width of the machine. The rollers are preferably staggered in relation to one another, in the direction of motion of the machine and also transversally thereto in such a way that the paths over which they are dragged and those taken by the machine on its prior passage over the ground in question will partly overlap.

The loosening and/or smoothing means can advantageously be provided with lifting means to raise and lower the aforesaid means.

The invention may be understood more readily and various other features of the invention may become more apparent from consideration of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG.- 1 is a schematic side view of a machine made in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a more detailed side view of the machine on a somewhat larger scale; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the lower part of the machine on an enlarged scale.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings, the machine has a main chassis 10, supported by two endless caterpillar-type tracks 11, preferably provided with large flat running plates for example made of wood in order to keep the pressure per unit of area as low as possible. The tracks 11 enable the machine to be driven over a filter bed to remove sediment therefrom.

At the front end of the chassis there is a frame 12 carried by two parallel support members 13, 14 disposed at the sides of the chassis 10. The joints 15 between the members l3, 14 the chassis 10 and the frame 12 are in the form of ball-and-socke tjoints or the like to ensure that the frame 12 can be adjusted in respect of the chassis 10.

In order to prevent excessive pressure on the filter bed the weight of the frame 12 and items mounted thereon is in the main transmitted through springs 37 to the machine chassis 10. When the machine is to be transferred from one operating station to another the frame 12 can be lifted from the bed by means of two pneumatic piston and cylinder units 38 mounted at the sides of the chassis 10 and when the machine is in actual use the units 38 are completely relieved of the load.

It is also advisable for the frame 12, to be prevented from moving laterally of the chassis 10 by means of one or more rods or similar devices.

The frame 12 supports an inclined conveyor or elevator arrangement 24 and skimming means in the form of an inclined plate 16. The conveyor 24 has a number of receptacles or buckets 25 which are attached to a number of circulatable endless members, e.g., chains. The plate 16 extends across the front of the machine and is mounted on the lower end of the frame 12 in such a way as to be adjustable in height. In front of the plate 16 there is a skid member 17 with a lower side which slides on the upper surface 18 of a layer of sediment to be removed. It is of advantage for this skid member 17 also to be adjustable in height. By adjusting the lower edge of the plate 16 in respect of the lower side of the skid member 17 a certain thickness 19 can be selected for the layer of sedimentary material to be removed. This layer of material slides upwards, as shown at 20 (FIG. 4), when the machine is advanced, on the front side of the plate 16. The material is then taken up by projecting paddles or bars 21 of a rotatable conveyor drum 22. These bars 21, which extend over a distance corresponding tothe entire operating width of the machine, are offset in relation to the rotational center of the drum 22 as may be seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings. This enables the material taken up by the drum 22 to be flung off by the bars 21 more effectively. Thus, as soon as one of these bars 21 has moved beyond the upper edge of the plate 16. the material taken up thereby is projected backwards, into a trough 23 at the bottom of the inclined conveyor 24, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 4. The bars 21 are affixed to the end faces of the drum 22 in such a way that they can be adjusted in position. This is desirable so that according to the nature of the material to be removed the material will always be flung off in the exact direction desired, towards the trough 23. In order to prevent the material from being flung off in the forward direction a removablecover plate 33 is disposed at the front side of the machine adjacent the drum 22. The material in the trough 23 is taken up by the buckets 25 and conveyed obliquely upwards as far as an upper pulley 26. In this position the material is delivered, via a plate 27, onto the upper side of a further conveyor 28 extending transversally of the machine. The conveyor 28 has side walls which can be displaced along guide rollers transversally of the machine and also the direction of circulation of the conveyor 28 is reversable. This enables the material received by the conveyor 28 to be delivered to various positions outwardly from the sides of the conveyor 28. The conveyor 28 is itself supported on a framework displaceably mounted on skids 32 so that the conveyor 28, if necessary, can be moved bodily transversally of the machine.

The drive for the conveyor drum 22 can be derived from that for the conveyor 24, but it is also possible to use a special drive for the drum 22 especially if higher rotation speeds are required for the drum 22 and if excessive strains on the inclined conveyor 24 are to be avoided.

The endless members used for circulating the buckets 25 are preferably made from a resilient material such as rubber and the conveying side of the elevator 24, i.e., at the front of the machine, is supported by a certain number of guide rollers 34, in orderto avoid any excessive sag. The return side of the elevator 24 is provided with at least one rail 36 which slidably receive guide elements 35 which are each attached to one of the individual buckets 25.

In operation, the machine is driven forwards to cause a layer of sediment to be skimmed from the filter bed. The material taken up by the plate 16 is projected into the trough 23 by the drum 22 and thereafter raised by the buckets 25 of the conveyor 24. The material is transferred to the conveyor 28 and finally discharged therefrom. 1

It is desirable for the cleaned bed of sand, particularly the part to the rear of the machine to be loosened once again after the machine has passed over it. For this purpose claw-shaped subsoiler implements 39 and harrow implements 40 (FIG. 1) are provided at the rear of the machine and smoothing rollers 41 are trailed behind the implements 39, 40. The smoothing rollers 41 are staggered not only in the direction of motion of the machine but also perpendicularly thereto, in such a way that the paths over which they move to some exsmoothed and levelled by the implements 39, 40 and the rollers 41. When the machine is to be transferred from one station to another, the implements 39, 40 and the rollers 41 can be lifted off the ground by means of pneumatic piston and cylinder units 42. V e

The machinecan be controlled from a cabin, situated comparatively high up on the chassis 10, so that all the main parts are within the field of vision of the operator and their functions can be conveniently observed and controlled.

We claim:

1. A machine for removing sedimentary material from filter beds; said machine comprising a. a main chassis with sides, a front end and a rear end;

b. mobile rotary support means for contacting a filter bed and supporting and moving the chassis over the filter bed;

c. a frame disposed at the front end of the chassis;

d. means for mounting the frame on the chassis to allow the frame to be moved in relation tothe chassis;

e. means for raising and lowering the framerelative to the front end of the chassis;

f. inclined conveying means carried by said frame;

said conveying means havinga lower end projecting forwardly from the front end of the chassis and an upper end disposed rearwardly of said front end, said inclined conveying means being composed of a plurality of material-carrying receptacles attached to circulator means.

g. a trough attached to the frame at the lower end of said inclined conveying means to provide a delivery station therefor;

. skimming means in the form of a plate attached to the frame to incline downwardly and outwardly relative to the front end of the chassis, said plate being disposed forwardly of and beneath said trough and having a lower working edge extending across the width of the chassis; i. a skid member attached to the frame and disposed forwardly of and above the lower working edge of the inclined plate, the skid member having a lower surface extending across the width of the chassis for sliding over said filter bed as the chassis is advanced, whereby the inclined plate and the skid member co-operate so that a layer of material of thickness determined by the position of the lower working edge of the inclined plate in relation to the lower surface of the skid member can be extracted by the skimming means as the chassis is advanced;

j. a rotatable drum carried by the frame and having a rotational axis extending transversally of the chassis, said drum being disposed rearwardly of the skid member and having outwardly-directed paddles for transferring material from the skimming means to said trough as the chassis advances and the drum is rotated; I

k. a further circulatory conveying means extending transversally of the chassis and outwardly beyond the sides of the chassis for receiving material from the upper end of said inclined conveying means;

and e l. means for'mounting said further conveying means on the chassis to enable the further conveying means to move bodily in a longitudinal direction relative to said chassis.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the position of'the inclined plate is adjustable.

3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the further conveyor has side walls which are displaceable longitudinally of the remainder of the further conveyor.

4. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the chassis is connected at the rear end to a means for loosening and smoothing the filter bed, which means is trailed behind the chassis as the latter is advanced.

5. A machine according to claim 4, and further comprising means for raising and lowering the loosening and smoothing means in relation to the chassis.

6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said mounting means includes springs.

7. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising means for preventing the frame from moving transversally of the chassis.

8. A machine according to claim 1, further comprising a removable cover plate extending over the rotatable drum.

9. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the inclined conveyor has a conveying run and a return run; there being further provided guide rollers for supporting the conveying run, at least one guide rail disposed alongside the return run and slidable guide elements carried by the receptacles for engagement with said guide rail.

10. Apparatus for removing sedimentary material from filter beds and adapted for attachment to the front of a self-propelled vehicle having means for receiving said sedimentary material, said apparatus comprising a. a frame having a front and rear,

b. guide means on said frame having a surface for supporting said frame on the surface of said filter bed as said vehicle moves forwardly,

c. a skimming plate on said frame at a position spaced rearwardly from said guide means and inclined forwardly and downwardly a predetermined distance below the plane defined by said surface of said guide means, said guide means and skimming plate defining an opening therebetween through which a layer of sedimentary material removed from said filter bed while said apparatus moves forwardly passes upwardly, said sedimentary material having a thickness equal to said predetermined distance,

. a trough positioned on said frame rearwardly of said skimming plate for receiving sedimentary material removed by said skimming plate,

e. means positioned above said plane defined by said surface of said guide means for transferring said sedimentary material from said inclined skimming plate over the upper end thereof into said trough and,

f. elevating means mounted on said frame for conveying said sedimentary material from said trough to said receiving means on said vehicle.

11. Apparatus, according to claim 10, wherein said transfer means comprises a plurality of paddles mounted for rotation about a common axis for projecting said sedimentary material from said skimming plate into said trough.

- 12. Apparatus, accordingto claim 10, wherein said guide means comprises a skid member having a lower surface extending across the width of said frame.

13. A machine for removing sedimentary material from filter beds, said machine comprising a main chassis having a front, rear and sides,

b. means for propelling said chassis over the filter d. the apparatus defined by claim 10, and

. means mounting said apparatus at the front of said chassis for movement in a generally vertical direction relative to said chassis. 

1. A machine for removing sedimentary material from filter beds; said machine comprising a. a main chassis with sides, a front end and a rear end; b. mobile rotary support means for contacting a filter bed and supporting and moving the chassis over the filter bed; c. a frame disposed at the front end of the chassis; d. means for mounting the frame on the chassis to allow the frame to be moved in relation to the chassis; e. means for raising and lowering the frame relative to the front end of the chassis; f. inclined conveying means carried by said frame; said conveying means having a lower end projecting forwardly from the front end of the chassis and an upper end disposed rearwardly of said front end, said inclined conveying means being composed of a plurality of material-carrying receptacles attached to circulator means. g. a trough attached to the frame at the lower end of said inclined conveying means to provide a delivery station therefor; h. skimming means in the form of a plate attached to the frame to incline downwardly and outwardly relative to the front end of the chassis, said plate being disposed forwardly of and beneath said trough and having a lower working edge extending across the width of the chassis; i. a skid member attached to the frame and disposed forwardly of and above the lower working edge of the inclined plate, the skid member having a lower surface extending across the width of the chassis for sliding over said filter bed as the chassis is advanced, whereby the inclined plate and the skid member cooperate so that a layer of material of thickness determined by the position of the lower working edge of the inclined plate in relation to the lower surface of the skid member can be extracted by the skimming means as the chassis is advanced; j. a rotatable drum carried by the frame and having a rotational axis extending transversally of the chassis, said drum being disposed rearwardly of the skid member and having outwardlydirected paddles for transferring material from the skimming means to said trough as the chassis advances and the drum is rotated; k. a further circulatory conveying means extending transversally of the chassis and outwardly beyond the sides of the chassis for receiving material from the upper end of said inclined conveying means; and l. means for mounting said further conveying means on the chassis to enable the further conveying means to move bodily in a longitudinal direction relative to said chassis.
 1. A machine for removing sedimentary material from filter beds; said machine comprising a. a main chassis with sides, a front end and a rear end; b. mobile rotary support means for contacting a filter bed and supporting and moving the chassis over the filter bed; c. a frame disposed at the front end of the chassis; d. means for mounting the frame on the chassis to allow the frame to be moved in relation to the chassis; e. means for raising and lowering the frame relative to the front end of the chassis; f. inclined conveying means carried by said frame; said conveying means having a lower end projecting forwardly from the front end of the chassis and an upper end disposed rearwardly of said front end, said inclined conveying means being composed of a plurality of material-carrying receptacles attached to circulator means. g. a trough attached to the frame at the lower end of said inclined conveying means to provide a delivery station therefor; h. skimming means in the form of a plate attached to the frame to incline downwardly and outwardly relative to the front end of the chassis, said plate being disposed forwardly of and beneath said trough and having a lower working edge extending across the width of the chassis; i. a skid member attached to the frame and disposed forwardly of and above the lower working edge of the inclined plate, the skid member having a lower surface extending across the width of the chassis for sliding over said filter bed as the chassis is advanced, whereby the inclined plate and the skid member co-operate so that a layer of material of thickness determined by the position of the lower working edge of the inclined plate in relation to the lower surface of the skid member can be extracted by the skimming means as the chassis is advanced; j. a rotatable drum carried by the frame and having a rotational axis extending transversally of the chassis, said drum being disposed rearwardly of the skid member and having outwardly-directed paddles for transferring material from the skimming means to said trough as the chassis advances and the drum is rotated; k. a further circulatory conveying means extending transversally of the chassis and outwardly beyond the sides of the chassis for receiving material from the upper end of said inclined conveying means; and l. means for mounting said further conveying means on the chassis to enable the further conveying means to move bodily in a longitudinal direction relative to said chassis.
 2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the position of the inclined plate is adjustable.
 3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the further conveyor has side walls which are displaceable longitudinally of the remainder of the further conveyor.
 4. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the chassis is connected at the rear end to a means for loosening and smoothing the filter bed, which means is trailed behind the chassis as the latter is advanced.
 5. A machine according to claim 4, and further comprising means for raising and lowering the loosening and smoothing means in relation to the chassis.
 6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said mounting means includes springs.
 7. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising means for preventing the frame from moving transversally of the chassis.
 8. A machine according to claim 1, further comprising a removable cover plate extending over the rotatable drum.
 9. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the inclined conveyor has a conveying run and a return run; there being further provided guide rollers for supporting the conveying run, at least one guide rail disposed alongside the return run and slidable guide elements carried by the receptacles for engagement with said guide rail.
 10. Apparatus for removing sedimentary material from filter beds and adapted for attachment to the front of a self-propelled vehicle having means for receiving said sedimentary material, said apparatus comprising a. a frame having a front and rear, b. guide means on said frame having a surface for supporting said frame on the surface of said filter bed as said vehicle moves forwardly, c. a skimming plate on said frame at a position spaced rearwardly from said guide means and inclined forwardLy and downwardly a predetermined distance below the plane defined by said surface of said guide means, said guide means and skimming plate defining an opening therebetween through which a layer of sedimentary material removed from said filter bed while said apparatus moves forwardly passes upwardly, said sedimentary material having a thickness equal to said predetermined distance, d. a trough positioned on said frame rearwardly of said skimming plate for receiving sedimentary material removed by said skimming plate, e. means positioned above said plane defined by said surface of said guide means for transferring said sedimentary material from said inclined skimming plate over the upper end thereof into said trough and, f. elevating means mounted on said frame for conveying said sedimentary material from said trough to said receiving means on said vehicle.
 11. Apparatus, according to claim 10, wherein said transfer means comprises a plurality of paddles mounted for rotation about a common axis for projecting said sedimentary material from said skimming plate into said trough.
 12. Apparatus, according to claim 10, wherein said guide means comprises a skid member having a lower surface extending across the width of said frame. 